Evocative Description
by miserableyouth
Summary: People discover themselves in a variety of places. Apparently Breadstix is where Santana realises herself. Vignettes of Santana at Breadstix throughout the years.
1. Chapter 1

**I.**

Santana walked into the restaurant with her hand clasped tightly to her mother's. A middle aged woman greeted them, her hair a dirty blonde, prematurely flecked with grey. "Welcome to Breadstix," she spoke with a tired voice, a forced smile, which looked more like a grimace, plastered on her face.

"Just a table for three, thanks," Santana's father replied politely.

They were directed to a small booth near the centre of the restaurant. She slid into her seat, dragging her mother to sit next to her as her father sat across from them. The waitress brought over two menus and a bucket topped with breadsticks. Santana eyed them hungrily, but waited patiently by her mother's side. "Just give a holler when you're ready to order," she said and walked off to serve other customers in the nearly-packed restaurant.

Her parents each took a menu from the table and busied themselves behind them, leaving Santana to herself. She looked around the restaurant, noticing the arrangement of the restaurant; the booths took up the centre of the room, smaller tables dotted the perimeter and two larger tables were positioned right at the back. She looked at the other patrons in the room. Most of them were small families; the parents probably too lazy to cook dinner (like Santana's; unpacking had taken a toll on her parents, and they decided it was important to explore the new suburb). There were a few couples sitting across from each other at the smaller tables. Hands were clasped and googly eyes were constantly being made. One couple was attached at the lips, obviously in their own world. Santana pulled a disgusted face. She couldn't ever imagine kissing a boy. That's how cooties were spread and boys were just _eww _(all the boys at her new school ate dirt for fun). There was a large group of people sitting at one of the larger tables, all of them chatting animatedly. A young blonde, who looked around the same age as Santana, sat with her back facing her, a ridiculous party hat precariously sitting on her head. Santana snickered to herself; it looked very silly. She'd never be caught wearing something like that in public (Santana would never admit that she was jealous; she never got party hats on her birthday).

Santana was pulled from her observations when her mother finally asked her what she wanted to eat. "What about the kid's meal? Chicken nuggets and chips? That sounds good, doesn't it honey?"

Santana looked up hopefully. With a father for a doctor, she wasn't normally allowed to eat anything processed and smothered in oil, but she guessed that her parents would be lenient for today. They had only just moved to Lima and her parents were in a good mood. Santana nodded, hoping she didn't seem too enthusiastic (a tough ask for a six year old).

Santana's dad gestured to the waitress, signaling that they were ready to order.

"Ready to order? What can I get for you today?"

"I'll have the spaghetti and meatballs with extra meatballs," her dad said, closing the menu.

"I will have the caesar salad," her mom continued.

"Can I please have the chicken nuggets and chips?" Santana recited, already feeling very 'grown-up' for ordering her own food.

"Also, can I get a prawn cocktail for my wife?" Santana's dad added, winking at his wife. Santana giggled at her mother's blushing cheeks. The waitress smiled and collected the menus.

"Any drinks?"

"Water will be fine thanks," Santana pouted. Though she wanted a Coke, she knew her parents were being kind enough to allow her to have chicken nuggets.

As they waited for their meals, her mother handed her a breadstick and Santana chewed on the end quietly. Her parents had started talking about adult issues, and she had already zoned out. She looked back at the large gathering of people at the back of the restaurant. A cake had just arrived and they were all singing 'Happy Birthday' at the top of their voices, ignoring the concept of pitch (and dignity). Santana secretly longed to join them. Her birthdays, though few, were always quiet affairs. The girl in the party hat turned around and locked eyes with Santana. A large grin spread quickly across her face and she hopped out of her seat.

Santana gasped. She recognized the girl. She was in Santana's class at school. Why was she heading towards her? The only time they had even interacted was that she had asked Santana to pass the brown crayon for her drawing of a rainbow (Santana thought it slightly weird, having brown in a rainbow, but the girl had assured her that she didn't want any colours to be left out).

"Hey," she said, her grin showing the gaps where she had lost teeth (Santana counted two).

"Hi," Santana said, unsure. Her parents had stopped their conversation and looked towards their daughter and the stranger standing in front of them.

"Santana? It's me, Brittany. From school. Remember me?" Santana thought Brittany spoke like they were old friends at a reunion.

"Ah, yeah, I know,"

Suddenly, a balding man and a woman with pearls around her neck arrived at the table. "Brittany, what did we say about running off? Come, let's leave these nice people to eat their dinner in peace," the lady spoke quietly as she placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Mom, it's Santana! She's the new girl at my school, remember?" Brittany explained.

"Nice to meet you Santana. Brittany has talked about you non-stop," the man said in a deep voice. Santana blushed. Brittany had talked about Santana non-stop? She had only talked to the girl for a maximum for ten minutes. How much could she have said about her?

The man turned to Santana's parents and introduced himself. "I'm John Pierce, and this is my wife Joy, and my daughter Brittany,"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alonso, and this is my wife Maribel. I guess you already know Santana," He shook John's hand warmly.

John chuckled (Though Santana thought he laughed unnecessarily loudly, but enjoyed the way his belly shook. It reminded her of Santa) "Brittany has told us how there's a new girl who's just moved to Lima,"

"Yes, we just moved three days ago. I just got transferred to the Lima General Hospital, so we had to move,"

"Well then, welcome to Lima! We'll be happy to show you around. Do you need any help unpacking? I bet that's very tiring," Brittany's mother offered.

"No, no, we're nearly done unpacking. Thanks for the offer though, "her mother said politely, "So Brittany, it seems like it's your birthday today?"

Brittany's grin grew. "Yep! I turn seven today!" Brittany lifted six grubby fingers.

Santana laughed and lifted one more finger on Brittany's hand. "Seven," Santana confirmed.

Any hint of embarrassment on Brittany's face was quickly gone as she laughed along with Santana. Suddenly her mouth formed a perfect circle. "You should have some cake Santana! Mom, let's give Santana some cake!" Brittany pulled on her mother's dress.

"Maybe next time Brittany. We haven't even had dinner yet. Keep some for yourselves," Santana's mom said. Santana pouted for the second time tonight. Cake had sounded very tempting. As if on cue, the waitress arrived with their food.

"We'd best be leaving you to enjoy your dinner now. Come over to our house any time for a chat, the doors are always open for guests," John and Joy turned and headed back towards their table. However, Brittany stayed and a mischievous grin formed on her face. She beckoned Santana closer, and Santana leaned in, noticing each freckle on Brittany's face. The heat from Brittany's mouth warmed Santana's ear and she giggled at the tickling feeling.

"I'll steal a slice of cake and give it to you tomorrow," Brittany whispered. She ran off to follow her parents, missing the blush that had once again grown on Santana's cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

II.

The seats of the booth groan as the two girls flop down, shoving their Cheerio bags beside them. The blonde waitress (her hair now flecked with more grey) arrives carrying two menus and a bucket of fresh breadsticks. Santana instinctively snatches a breadstick before the bucket is even placed on the table and the waitress rolls her eyes. Though the two teenagers in front of her are regular customers, she wouldn't have so many grey strands on her head if they were at least slightly more polite.

"Thanks Jill," Brittany says without looking up from her menu. The waitress walks away, knowing that's the best she's going to get from them.

"God, I don't think my muscles have ever hurt so much. I'll show you where it hurts so much," Santana first points to her legs and then continues to gesture to whole her body, causing Brittany to laugh (a sound which Santana very much enjoys listening to; she'd consider making it her ringtone, but only creepy stalkers do that).

"Your hair hurts? We didn't use them to do those push-ups,"

"See, you'd think that, but it still aches. Everything aches," Santana buries her head into her arms, groaning as she discovers muscles she never knew she had as they scream in pain. Having only just recently joined the cheerleading team at her new high school has brought about a whole myriad of horrors Santana never thought existed until now; adolescent arthritis, an absolute hag of a cheer coach and repulsive, hormone driven, teenage boys drooling at her short Cheerio's uniform (perhaps she doesn't mind the last point all that much). She has to keep reminding herself that in the end, all the suffering will be worth it. She'll be the most popular girl in the school, and only a cheerleader can receive that honorary title (at least that's what happens in the movies). No pain, no gain, right?

"I'm just going to have to kiss everything better," Brittany says in a matter of fact tone. Santana pokes her head up from her arms, unsure what Brittany means from her remark. Being kissed by Brittany isn't anything new. They've experimented, but it's all in the name of practice, for when they meet hot boys. Nothing serious is going to come out of it. Nothing_._ Only this time, Brittany is hinting that she's going to kiss _everything_; they've only ever kissed each other on the lips. Even the thought of kissing anywhere else brings a blush on Santana's cheeks (she isn't sure if it's because of embarrassment or a sudden shyness).

"Everything?" Santana whispers.

"We're just going to have to see, aren't we?" Brittany flirts. She takes a breadstick from the bucket, and instead of eating it, she prods Santana on the nose and chuckles at the face she pulls (squinty eyes, scrunchy nose and all). "That Quinn girl seems nice," Brittany says absent-mindedly.

Santana is glad for the sudden change in topic. "And so is a lion," Santana is acutely aware of Quinn. She's acutely aware of how far she will go to undermine Santana and be the popular one instead. She already has her eyes set on Finn, who Santana wouldn't touch even if she was offered a million bucks (she still remembers the dirt lining his lips after being dared to eat it back in grade school), but Santana will tolerate her for now. If Brittany can, Santana can too. Perhaps they can help each other reach the top, but Santana won't share the position; she'll decide what she'll do with Quinn once it gets to that stage.

"A lion?" Brittany chuckles, "if we're going to compare people to animals, I guess that makes you..." she looks around the restaurant, as if expecting to find an answer in the room.

"A panther. Or a lynx," Santana answers immediately, finishing Brittany's sentence (No, she hasn't thought about it before. Not at all).

"Actually, I was thinking more of a hamster, or a little duckling," Brittany grins, yet another mischievous grin.

Santana gives Brittany an incredulous face. A hamster or a duckling? Those aren't impressive animals. Lions probably eat them for afternoon snacks. Santana feels slightly offended that Brittany would even compare her to such pitiful creatures. Surely Brittany knows Santana better than that and she can't help but feel a little hurt.

"Really Britt?"

"Yeah! I could fit you into my pocket and take you everywhere,"

Santana has no words and once again drops her head into her arms, groaning the whole way; partly from the pain, and partly from Brittany being...well...Brittany.

Brittany chuckles and takes a breadstick from the bucket. "Hey," Brittany calls softly. Santana looks up, and Brittany pokes Santana on the nose with the end of the breadstick for the second time today. Santana's eyes cross and cause Brittany to laugh even harder. "Fine, you can be a panther. As long as you're there to protect me from scarier animals,"

This seems to satisfy Santana. "Always,"

The girls fall into a comfortable silence and as if on cue, Jill returns to the table.

"Ready to order?"

"Yep. Can I have the chicken salad?" Santana replies, without having touched her menu

"Same for me. And can we get a side order of fries?" Jill scribbles this all down and takes the menus as she walks back to the kitchen.

" Fries Britt? Coach Sue will kill us,"

"Relax Santana. We'll burn them off next training session. She won't notice a thing," Santana has always admired Brittany's carefree attitude to everything. She realizes how important it is to have someone like Brittany in her life; otherwise she'd probably implode from all the stresses that life can offer a fourteen year old. Sometimes she tries hard to employ Brittany's mindset, but struggles to even get close.

The food arrives quickly and they're wolfing everything down, not realizing how hungry they are until now. Their conversation travels from school work and bitching about their Cheerio teammates to Lord Tubbington's strange obsession with feather dusters. Just as they finish an argument about how spider monkeys can't shoot web from their behinds (Brittany insists they actually shoot web from their wrists like Spiderman), Santana feels Brittany's knee nudge her own. She takes a glimpse under the table and is surprised to see their legs tangled together. _Had they always been tangled together? _Santana wonders, _and were Brittany's legs always that long?_ She looks back up at Brittany, hoping for an explanation, but all she gets is Brittany biting her lower lip, a subtle smirk drawn on her lips.

"Hey," Brittany says shyly.

"Hi?" Santana replies back, unsure of where this is headed.

"Can I have the last fry?" Sure enough, when Santana looks down at the bowl, there is one single fry left. She had planned to let Brittany eat all the fries; she didn't want to sabotage her position in the Cheerios, but somehow ended up eating more than half the bowl. Well, someone had to make sure Brittany didn't eat the whole bowl herself; she could get a heart attack from all that cholesterol or something. Santana lets out a sigh and grins at herself, shaking her head at her wild imagination. All Brittany wanted was a fry. Nothing more.

"Of course. You don't have to ask you know, just take it,"

Brittany smiles and takes the fry, but before putting it into her mouth, she rips it in half and holds one half out for Santana. Santana smiles and reaches for the offered half-fry, but Brittany shakes her head. "Nu-uh. Open wide!" Brittany sings.

If they were at school, Santana would never allow Brittany to feed them with the whole school watching them, but Breadstix is relatively empty, and no one seems to be paying them any attention, so she opens up her mouth and sticks her tongue out, waiting for Brittany to feed her the fry. Brittany shuts one eye to help her aim, sticks her own tongue out and throws the chip, landing perfectly in Santana's waiting mouth. "Score!" Brittany fist-pumps the air, "I love feeding the ducks."

Santana rolls her eyes at Brittany, and chooses to ignore the last statement. Instead she laughs along, savoring the greasiness of the fry in her mouth. "Come on Lebron, let's get going," Santana says as she grabs her bag from the edge of her seat, "I think my bus comes soon,"

"I thought we were going back to my house," It's not a question, but a statement. Santana pauses, puzzled. It's a weekday night, and she has a pile of homework on her desk to catch up on. She tells Brittany this, but all she does in return is shake her head.

"Your muscles still hurt, don't they? I have to kiss everything better," She grabs her and Santana's bags, and heads off to pay the bill. Santana looks after her, glad that Brittany can't see the blush in her cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3

**III.**

Santana lazily flicked her fork, forcing the lettuce leaf to the edge of her plate. She wasn't really in the mood to eat; playing with her food seemed so much more interesting at the moment. She listened to the low hum of the other customers in the restaurant, not concentrating on any conversation in particular. A loud clatter of a fork falling onto a plate woke her from her reverie. Santana looked up at the person sitting across from her, surprised that anyone was there at all (she had forgotten that she had company).

"Sorry about that. Butter fingers," Mercedes apologized. She quickly picked up her fork, afraid that Santana would snap at her, but Santana shrugged and looked back down at her plate. Mercedes knew something was up; Santana never backed down at a chance to insult her.

"We should have won you know. The voting was probably rigged. I bet Mr. Schue threw in some of his votes. He probably wanted to make that new kid feel good about himself,"

Santana nodded half-heartedly, not really listening to what Mercedes had to say.

"We were easily the hottest ones though. Ken and Barbie think they're all so cute with their guitar-" Mercedes stopped talking once she noticed that Santana had not looked up from her plate.

"We should have won. It was all a part of the plan," Santana whispered to herself. It was her plan to win back Brittany. She'd win the tickets to Breadstix. She'd take Brittany out for dinner, and apologize for not doing a duet with her. She'd apologize the crappy week she had and everything that had lead to it. Brittany would forgive her (she always did) and tell Santana that she would leave Artie, and together they'd run into the sunset, like in the movies.

So perhaps the running off into the sunset was slightly far-fetched, but given her situation, she'd do anything Brittany said, if only she could have her back.

"Plan?" Mercedes broke Santana from her trance. Santana looked up and saw Mercedes giving Santana a quizzical look. Had she really said that aloud? Santana tried to hide her flusteration.

"Um...yeah...the plan to be the undisputed top bitches of glee club," Santana silently commended her ability to think quickly on her feet.

"Oh, right. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure the glee club knows we're the top bitches. River Deep Mountain High was perfect,"

"It was hot, wasn't it? Nice song choice by the way," If Mercedes had tried to hide her surprise at receiving a compliment from Santana, she had failed miserably. _Santana Lopez isn't as bad as everyone makes her out to be_, Mercedes thought to herself.

They had arrived to a comfortable silence in the conversation. Santana had finally started eating some of her salad, albeit slowly, and Mercedes took a sip of her drink.

"I wonder what Brittany and Artie would have done for a duet," Mercedes asked. Santana's head shot up at the mention of Brittany, but immediately shrank at mention of the latter's name.

"Probably some stupid rap song, and Brittany would dance around him. Why doesn't he just amputate his legs and just replace them with wheels. It'd save one of us from having to push him around everywhere," Santana spat.

"Santana, be nice," Mercedes warned.

Santana scowled and returned to her half-eaten salad.

"So...um...how are things with Brittany?" Mercedes asked as innocently as she could. She knew she was pushing the boundaries by asking, but when Santana had asked Mercedes to be her duets partner, Mercedes had asked about Brittany, but Santana snapped and said that she didn't want to talk about it.

Santana looked up to find Mercedes playing with her own food. "Fine," Santana replied curtly, not enjoying where the conversation was heading.

"You sure? You haven't talked to her in a week, and you guys are pretty much inseparable. Also, when I said her name earlier, I could hear your neck crack when you looked up so quickly," Mercedes looked directly at Santana.

Santana wished she could wipe the smug look off Mercedes face, but found that she couldn't. Everything she had said was true; there was no denying that fact.

"Look, we just had a fight, that's all,"

"What was the fight about?"

Santana hesitated. Was she really going to tell the school's biggest gossip about her and Brittany? About the butterflies she got every time Brittany touched her? About the way she could only have a good night's sleep in Brittany's arms? About how she loved hearing the way Brittany said her name, as it rolled off her tongue? About how all these feelings inside her confused her so much, that it physically pained her just thinking about them? About how all pain would disappear once Brittany was there?

"She wanted to be my duet partner," Santana revealed cautiously.

"Why weren't you her duets partner? You're her best friend and all,"

Santana wished she knew the answer. She had racked her brains every day for an answer (She had racked her heart every day too).

"We disagreed on what song to sing, I didn't like her suggestion,"

"What song did she want to sing?"

Santana paused. Melissa Ethridge's 'Come To My Window'. The night Brittany had made that suggestion, Santana had immediately YouTubed the song, and cried.

"Just one of those silly songs. You know what Brittany is like," Santana lied. She winced at her words. She knew it wasn't a silly song. Brittany was a genius, she knew what she was doing when she had offered that song. Santana was only realizing just now.

"Well, it seems like a silly thing to have a fight about. The competition is over now. Be the bigger man and just go apologize. I'm sure you'll be friends with her again come Monday," Mercedes stated simply.

Santana knew Mercedes was right.

"You love her don't you?"

Santana almost choked on her drink. She froze. No, Mercedes didn't mean _that_ way. Surely she wasn't implying anything. Besides, Santana didn't feel that way about Brittany. She couldn't. She was a girl for crying out loud. She loved Brittany, like a best friend. That was all.

Santana couldn't help but feel like she was lying to herself. She must be just hormonal. Yes, that must be it. That was the reason why she couldn't stop thinking about Brittany. Couldn't stop thinking about how much it hurt to be apart from her. Yes, it was the hormones. Silly teenage hormones.

She took a glance at Mercedes and noticed that she was still waiting for an answer. "Of course I love her," Santana quickly said (little did she know the full extent of the meaning behind those simple words).

"Yeah, you girls will be fine. Now eat up. I said I'd shout you Breadstix, and I stick to my word," Mercedes grabbed a breadstick from the bucket and passed it to Santana, "you know, I was really worried you'd bring a wheelbarrow. That would have been just downright embarrassing," Mercedes laughed.

"I did bring one. It's in the car," Santana deadpanned, biting off a chunk of the breadstick into her mouth. She chuckled at the face Mercedes pulled and swatted her with the other end of the breadstick.

The realization that everything would work out with Brittany had lifted Santana from her mood. Also, she was finally getting her free Breadstix dinner, and she had been craving a double chocolate sundae all night.


	4. Chapter 4

**IV. **

If Santana was giddy with excitement, it was nothing compared to how Brittany must have been feeling. That girl never hid her emotions and if her bright eyes, giant grin and outstretched arm anxiously dragging Santana's own was anything to go by, Santana knew she was in for a ride.

This was nothing new though; having Brittany Susan Pierce for a girlfriend meant you had to be prepared for a new adventure every single second. From daring swordfights with the town ogre (otherwise known as Finn Hudson) and being knighted by the king (Brittany had no competition in the presidential race; there was no doubt about it) to climbing to the highest heights (Ok, so perhaps Santana kept her eyes closed the whole time on the rollercoaster, but she'd admit it to no one) and releasing unicorns from the captures of evil beings (at least Lady Hummel wasn't a princess stuck in a frog's body; she did not want to see Brittany's lips near anyone else's other than her own). Of course her favourite adventure was when her knightess in shining armor saved her, the damsel in distress. Though their fairytale had its share of villains and magic spells gone wrong, not to mention the fact that the fairytale was yet to end, she already knew how it'd pan out; happily ever after, of course!

Santana had to admit that this week's adventure wasn't her favourite. In a lot of their previous adventures, Brittany and Santana had been a team. Even if the plot revolved around only one of them, the other was nearby, ready to jump in to lend a hand. Though Brittany was there the whole week, and really doing her best, Santana felt that they were out of touch and not on the same page. The dreaded 'future' had been brought up, and Santana was forced to think about what she was going to do after leaving the halls of McKinley High. This somehow lead to (and Santana cannot, for the life of her, figure out how) publically serenading Brittany in her mom's disco jumpsuit, the leakage of a private tape, judgmental sideways glances and the accidental blockage of a school toilet by means of bull testicle. To top this all off, she had somehow received a college scholarship without having to do anything herself. The only answer Santana could give to the copious amount of questions swimming in her head was _Brittany_.

Santana now finds herself seated in her usual booth at Breadstix, bemused at her girlfriend who looks utterly insane. She's beaming from ear to ear, and jittering with restlessness. When Jill arrives with the usual menus and bucket of breadsticks, Brittany actually yells, "THANKS JILL! CAN WE GET A PAIL OF WATER AS WELL? BUT BE CAREFUL NOT TO TUMBLE AFTER JACK!", startling the other patrons and Santana. Jill, used to the antics of the two girls, just shakes her head and walks away.

"Britt? Honey? You alright there? You're starting to worry me," Santana asks, concerned.

Brittany jerks her head around, her hair barely missing the breadsticks, upright in their tin. "Yes! Good I am! I mean, I'm good. What's taking Jill so long with our H2O? I bet she's broken Jack's crown," Brittany says in what can only be described as complete and utter word vomit.

"Have you taken your meds today, babe?"

"Lord Tubbington's hidden them all," Brittany deadpans.

Santana chuckles to herself and takes both of Brittany's hands in her own, and uses the pads of her thumbs to rub calming circles into the back of Brittany's hands. "How I got stuck with such a doofus, I'll never know. Let's take a deep breath here Britt. What's got you like this? We only just left school an hour ago,"

The touch of Santana's hands on hers seemed to soothe Brittany. She relaxes her shoulders, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she opens them again, her eyes shine with adoration, causing Santana to melt. "I'm just really proud, Santana, like irrationally proud. My girl is going to college. She's all grown up and going to be the biggest badass on campus. My girl!" Brittany emphasizes the last two words, as if she had to make sure Santana understood the meaning behind them.

The word 'college' gave Santana a funny feeling in her stomach (a different feeling to the words 'my girl'). As much as the thought of moving out of Lima and leaving behind all the baggage that came with it thrilled and excited Santana, the nervousness she felt at the sheer thought of it was overwhelming. In addition, she still wasn't one hundred percent sure if that was what she wanted to do. Still, it was nice knowing that she had something lined up for her after high school. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for the person sitting right in front of her. "And I have you to thank. I still can't believe you got me a scholarship. I mean, how?"

"Well, after using some good old reverse psychology-"

"Reverse psychology?"

"Well, yeah. Hoarders, Fear Factor. All that fame,"

Santana suddenly felt very warm as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Oh, yes, right. Please continue," Santana says, eager to change the topic.

"Well, I just knew that you were so much better than that. And smarter. That's why I thought about applying for a college scholarship for you. That's where Coach Sue came in. She helped write up a referral letter and helped me fill out some of the forms. Coach was actually really supportive about it all. Must have been the baby hormones. I forged your signature, and wrote a few words about how you've become the brave person that you are now," Brittany smiles abashedly, "miracles can happen when you're doing something for the person you love, you know?"

Santana then felt even warmer than before, along with a slight tug at her heart. Though Brittany's methods could be considered unorthodox, they were just that, _Brittany's_ methods.

"Wow, I love you so much. I'm never going to get tired from saying that,"

"And I'm never going to get tired from hearing it," Brittany says as she lifts Santana's hands and places a delicate kiss on both of them. Right at that moment, Jill appears, with a jug of water and ready with a small notepad and pencil.

"Alright lovebirds," (Santana and Brittany blush), "ready to order?"

"Just the usual thanks Jill," Santana replies, "you really don't need to bring us any menus anymore, we never use them," she adds as an afterthought.

"So two chicken salads and a bowl of fries to share?" Jill scribbles onto her notepad.

"Actually Santana, let's do something different," Santana looks to Brittany, her head cocked to the side in confusion, "we have to get something different. We're celebrating! Hey Jill, did you know Santana got a full scholarship to the University of Louisville?"

"No I didn't. Well done sweetie! That's so great!"

Santana gives Jill a small smile, but turns to Brittany. "It was all Brittany. She's the one who got me the scholarship. What did you want to get instead Britt-Britt?"

"Let's get the seafood platter!" Brittany states, closing her menu, her decision final.

"Can we even afford that Britt?" Santana whispers.

"Of course, Santana, anything for you," Brittany says as she pats Santana's arm. She passes Jill the menus and pours a drink for herself and Santana.

Shortly after, their seafood platter arrives; lobsters placed in the centre, surrounded by a ring of fresh prawns and oysters, topped off with deep fried calamari rings. Brittany squeals in delight and claps her hands. Santana is slightly overwhelmed by of the amount of food presented to her, but can't help but laugh at Brittany's reaction. They tuck in hungrily into their food, Santana struggling to pull the meat off the lobster shell and Brittany automatically reaching for the prawns. They're eating in comfortable silence when Brittany nudges Santana's knee under the table.

"Did you know oysters are afro discos?" Brittany says knowingly as she slurps down an oyster.

"Aphrodisiacs honey," Santana automatically corrects, "oysters are such ugly things," she takes one and looks at it closer, but quickly eats it instead.

"Aphrodisiacs are supposed to turn you on," Brittany purrs, her foot stroking Santana's leg.

Santana giggles like a little child. "Stop it Brittany, not now! You're tickling me!" Brittany smiles as if her mission is accomplished and takes a calamari ring.

"Santana, give me your hand," Brittany takes Santana's hand and slips the calamari ring onto Santana's finger, "I promise to get you nicer ring in the future, but for now, this will have to do,"

Santana looks down at her hand, the large calamari ring hanging off her ring finger. She opens and closes her mouth, unsure of what to say to Brittany. "Did you just propose to me Britt?" Santana says quietly, her eyes still fixed on her hand.

"Yes. I mean no. I mean sorta. It's more of a promise. It doesn't mean anything now. Well, I guess it could if you wanted it to, but really I was just joking around. But I sorta wasn't-" Brittany gushes until Santana puts another calamari ring onto Brittany's finger.

"Britt, it's perfect. And I promise to get you a better one in the future as well," Brittany's face radiates with happiness and kneels up onto her seat so that she can reach forward and give Santana a kiss. Santana sighs into the kiss as she feels Brittany mouth form into a smile. They're quickly interrupted by a small cough, and they break apart to see Jill standing over them, smirking.

"Girls, this one's on me. Just thought we should celebrate Santana's college scholarship,"

"Strawberry milkshake!" Brittany exclaims.

"Curly straws!" Santana shrieks. She quickly closes her mouth and looks from Brittany to Jill. "Did I just say that aloud?"

"How I got stuck with such a doofus, I'll never know" Brittany chuckles, "Thanks a lot Jill, we owe you one!"

They take a straw each and sip quietly on their milkshake, their foreheads touching, as are their hands on top of the table and their knees underneath. They silently play-fight with their straws as they drink and a few quiet laughs escape their mouths. Finally Santana sits back up and pats her stomach.

"Wow, I am so full right now, I don't want to ever move. I just want to sit here all day," Santana closes her eyes and leans her head back onto the side of the booth. Brittany continues drinking the rest of the milkshake, the slurping sound announcing that she's finished.

"Hey," Santana says shyly.

"Hi," Brittany replies as she takes a straw and pokes out her tongue, ready to lick it clean.

"Britt, what are you going to do after high school?"

Brittany stops licking her straw, and looks at Santana. She sits and doesn't look Santana directly in the eyes. "I was talking to Coach about Perdue..."

"Purdue? That's great! I could totally help you with the applications. It's the least I could do,"

Brittany suddenly looks sad, but tries to hide it with a smile. She thinks she must be somewhat successful as Santana smiles back. "Thanks Santana. That's really nice of you. But you know what, let's talk about this later. It's your day today,"

This doesn't seem to satisfy Santana, but she cooperates regardless. "I don't think I could do anything more today. I don't know if I can get out of my seat," Santana groans as she takes a lot of effort to sit up.

"I hope you're not too full, I've got more surprises for you,"

"More surprises? Gosh Brittany, you really don't have to. You've done so much for me this week,"

Brittany gets up and pulls on Santana's arms, forcing Santana to stand up as well. "I think I can feel those oysters kicking in," Brittany says with a wink.

If she thought she felt warm before, it's nothing compared to what she feels now, she thinks as she raises her hands to hide the blush forming on her cheeks.


	5. Chapter 5

**V. **

"I don't want to get out of the car Britt," Santana whines, "it's too hot!" She leans forward in her seat, allowing the cool blast from the air-conditioning to caress her face. She tugs on the collar of her shirt, directing the cool air to flow down her top. "Wow, that feels so good," Santana sighs.

"How classy of you babe," Brittany chuckles as she pulls on her own singlet and mimics the actions of her girlfriend. After a minute of cooling down their abdomens, Brittany turns the car key, causing the air-conditioning to close and Santana to glare at Brittany.

"Hey! I was using that! I was just cooling off between my tits. I can feel the sweat pooling around my underboobs," Santana's voice is muffled as she buries her head down her shirt.

"So very, very classy," Brittany says as she shakes her head (though she has to stop herself from leaning over and peering in as well). "Come on, I'm getting hungry,"

Santana lifts her head and looks out the window of the car. She raises her sunglasses and lets them rest atop her head. The harsh sunlight causes her to squint as her eyes adjust to the brightness. Outside the window, she sees the petals of flowers wilting in the summer heat, the yellowing grass dried and limp, and is the asphalt of the car park actually melting before her very eyes? Santana has never enjoyed the summer. She hates constantly feeling sticky with sweat in the humid climate. She hates rolling around in her bed to try and find the coolest spot. She hates below-par fans which just move around the hot air and she hates how her hair heats up and makes her head feel like it's on fire. She'd much prefer winter, or as she likes to call it, 'snuggle weather'.

There are some aspects of summer which Santana doesn't mind (contrary to what everyone must think, she's not all doom and gloom). Such as how the sun rays seem to compete with Brittany's golden hair to see who can shine brighter. Such as watching watermelon juice run down the curves of Brittany's chin and neck. Such as seeing every contour of Brittany's body as she splashes around in her backyard pool. Just as Santana is winter, Brittany is summer. And summer is Brittany.

As much as Santana loves how different Brittany is to her (you know, the whole 'opposites attract' sort of thing), right now Santana is willing to do anything to get Brittany to turn the car back on and drive home, where she can lounge in front of the TV, the air-conditioning on full blast, and dig into a tub of ice-cream. Santana is pulled from her thoughts as she feels an arm tugging on her own.

"Come on, we'll run through the heat. Breadstix has good air-conditioning. We'll be cooling down in no time,"

"Run through the heat? I'll be a puddle on the floor after three steps. Then you're going to have to scoop me up off the floor, and carry me around in a bottle,"

"I can't carry you around in a bottle silly," Brittany says, her tone serious, "I might accidentally drink you up. I'll carry you around in a vial and hang you off a necklace. Off the same necklace where I keep a vial of your saliva,"

Santana's eyes widen and stare at Brittany. She's speechless and slightly worried that Brittany came up with a joke (it is a joke, right?) so horrendous. "That's so creepy Brittany. I'd only imagine Berry doing that with Finn's saliva,"

Brittany seems to contemplate this as she looks up out of the corner of her eyes, but stops and opens the door of the car, letting the remainder of the cool air out, and the hot air floods the car. "Let's go. We can get a sundae," she says as she hops out of the car.

Santana perks at the mention of a possible sundae, and begrudgingly follows Brittany into Breadstix. She visibly relaxes once she finds refuge in the cool interior of the restaurant. The pair head towards their usual booth where they are met with Jill and her usual menus, bucket of breadsticks and friendly smile (which Santana would like to believe is only reserved for them). They thank Jill and Santana immediately reaches for a breadstick, savoring its taste and the crunching noises in her mouth. Brittany grabs her attention by nudging her knee.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow,"

An overwhelming feeling of sadness and nerves hit Santana. She can't believe it either. Tomorrow she'll be leaving for New York. She had been putting off leaving all summer. Perhaps it was because she had become complacent with the convenience that Lima offered. Perhaps she was still unsure of what she wanted for her future. Perhaps she was just afraid. Whatever the reason, Santana found herself still in Lima, as she attended numerous farewell parties, waved at numerous cars packed to the brim with boxes full of belongings and shed too many tears (she had not planned on that at all).

As lost and confused Santana felt during the summer, she did not regret one second of it. She had stayed for only one person, and she was sitting across from her right now. Santana was only leaving now because Brittany was returning to McKinley again in two weeks time, and Brittany had pushed her to go to New York and follow her dreams (but were they really her dreams? The more Santana thought about it, the more she was unsure of the answer). She had stayed in Ohio the whole summer, and spent every moment possible with the girl she loved; what was there to regret?

"I can't believe it either. But I'm really not sure anymore Britt. What if I stayed for another year? What if I just worked a little bit, get some experience up my sleeve before...I'm sure Breadstix will hire me. I know the menu like the back of my hand..." Santana had started rambling, and only stopped when Brittany placed her hand lightly on top of Santana's.

"Stop it," Brittany says firmly but gently, "you're ready Santana. I'm not going to lie to you, it'll be hard, there's no doubt about it. But we're talking about you Santana. My brave, brave Santana," Santana melts under Brittany's smile and gives Brittany a shy smile back.

"Perhaps I should have gone to Louisville. I feel like that scholarship you got me was all a waste of your time−"

"No Santana. The scholarship was always going to be a backup option. Plan B. It wasn't a waste of time at all, trust me," Brittany says immediately. There's a hint of frustration in her voice as if she's tired from having to repeat the same thing all summer. "Look, let's not talk about this right now. I've only got a few hours left with you. I want to make the most of it,"

Santana nods in agreement and opens up her menu. "I don't think I should eat too much. I think Mom's making a feast for dinner tonight. I think she's afraid I won't be able to feed myself, and she needs to fatten me up to store energy or something," as she says this, Jill arrives.

"Ready to order?"

"Actually Jill, could you give us a min−" Santana stops mid-sentence when she feels something pushing on her menu, forcing it shut.

"Jill, can we get two kid's meals? Chicken nuggets, thanks," Brittany takes the two menus and hands them over to Jill. Santana smiles at Brittany.

"Where would I be without you?" Santana says as she takes Brittany's hands in her own.

"Sitting in the car and cooling off your tits," Brittany deadpans. Santana has to hold onto her sides as she bursts into laughter (the hardest she's laughed all summer) and she's wiping the tears out of her eyes so she can garner a clearer look at the person sitting across from her. She soaks in every strand of Brittany's hair, loose and falling about her shoulders. She counts every freckle on her face, and notices new ones from the summer. She looks to Brittany's lips, slightly dry and chapped, but the corners are slightly raised into a comfortable smile. She notices Brittany's eyelashes, a lighter colour than her hair. Finally she looks to her eyes, hidden behind eyelashes, burning brightly. "You're staring again Santana," Brittany says quietly.

Even though Santana knows she should be embarrassed about getting caught, she's heard Brittany repeat those words all summer, and it's lost nearly all its effect. "I'm just really going to miss you," Santana says. How much longer does she have until she can only see Brittany's face projected through a computer screen? Though she knows she's being silly (it's not like she'll never have the chance to see Brittany again), Santana can't help but feel it necessary to take in all of Brittany.

"I'm going to miss you too," Brittany says in reply. She leans over to give Santana a kiss, but Jill arrives with their food, and she has to settle with kissing the back of Santana's hand instead. Santana brings her hand up to her face and presses it lightly against her mouth.

"Wow, I haven't had chicken nuggets in years," Santana says as she looks down at her plate. She grabs her fork and doesn't hesitate in stabbing her fork into the nearest one. She places the whole nugget into her mouth and instantly sinks into her seat. "These are so good! Why haven't we always eaten chicken nuggets? Promise me we'll have a constant supply of these in the future,"

Brittany pauses before speaking. "Like at our house?"

"Well, yeah. When we get a house together,"

Brittany smiles as if that's the answer she was expecting. "I guess we'll have to hide them. We don't want our kids to eat them all; there won't be any left for us. Plus they're unhealthy for little kids. It's all about good parenting, right?"

Santana instantly shies. "Kids?"

"Yep. One boy and one girl," Brittany states, but immediately stops, "only if you want though,"

"I wouldn't have wanted it any different," Santana says as she sits up in her seat and kisses Brittany.

They continue to eat their kid's meals, as they talk about the summer that they've had and they finish their meal quite quickly (Santana realizes why they're called kid's meals. Her stomach isn't close to being satisfied).

"I think I have to go soon. I've got to get ready for dinner. The family is coming over, and Mom will freak when she finds out that I still haven't washed the windows. I really don't know why she's wants me to clean them. It's not like we're eating off them. It's like I'm her personal slave,"

"What about Cinderella? You get a fairy godmother and a pretty dress,"

"And a happily ever after?"

"Of course," the two girls smile at each other (they both reckon they've reached their happily ever afters).

"You should come to dinner Britt,"

"No, no. It's important family-bonding-time, I don't want to interrupt that,"

"You won't be interrupting anything. It'll just be a lot of old ladies talking about my weight or something,"

Brittany laughs as she goes to the counter and pays for the meal. Santana follows reluctantly, still wishing that Brittany would attend the dinner party her mom is holding. She opens the door, and a strong blast of hot air hits her, burning into her skin. She can feel her skin tingle as she starts to sweat already. "Oh you have got to be kidding me. Why is it still so hot?" Santana complains.

"Hey, can you make sure your window is open tonight?"

Santana pauses from opening the car door. "My window is always open for fresh air in this sort of weather,"

"Good," Brittany says as she opens her own car door.

"Can I ask why you suddenly want to make sure that I keep my window open?"

"Let's just say the weather ain't the only thing that's going melt you into a puddle,"

Santana is quite sure the sun isn't the reason why her face is burning up as her cheeks blush.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue.**

The small boy totters ahead, his eyes widen at the pretty lights hanging around the roof of the restaurant. He's on his tip toes, trying to reach the door handles to open the entrance when he loses his balance and falls against the door, effectively pushing it open. He smiles at his own ingenuity and waves at his parents. "Hurry!" he points to his stomach, "hungry!"

Brittany laughs and holds the door open. "Ok, ok, let's get something into that tummy of yours." She keeps the door open and gestures for her wife to enter. "After you, m'lady," Santana giggles and enters the restaurant, grabbing her son's hand at the same time. She takes a look around the restaurant; the familiar smells from the kitchen fill her nose and the chatter among the other patrons fill her ears. She's about to head towards their old booth before they're greeted by a young school-age waitress, her hair in a messy bun.

"Hi, welcome to Breadstix," she greets heartily.

"Hi, just a table for three thanks," Santana says. The waitress heads towards an obscure booth near the back of the room when Santana frowns. She knows it's not her place to request to sit anywhere else, but it's been ten years since she's been back to Lima, and she misses her usual spot.

"Sorry, but I was wondering if we could sit in that booth in the middle. It's just where we used to sit as kids," Santana turns her head at the sound of Brittany's voice and grins widely.

"Oh, of course. Take a seat," the waitress says as she puts the menus she's carrying onto the table.

"Wow, it's like you read my mind Britt," Santana says as she lifts her son up onto the seat of the booth.

"Well, we've been here so many times, they should have named these seats after us," Brittany states, "it's good to be back though. Santana nods in agreement and looks around the room. The booths are still situated in the middle of the room, though the leather covering the seats is now a green colour. Smaller tables still form a perimeter, and now five larger tables are found around the room. The room is relatively full with families and couples all chatting and enjoying a meal. Santana sinks into her seat, taking up the familiarity of her surroundings. Yes, it's definitely good to be back.

"Sad that Jill isn't here though," Brittany continues, "poor lady could never get rid of us,"

"She'd be of retiring age now, right? I hope she's off enjoying herself. She's probably got people waiting on her now. She deserves that much at least," Santana reminisces about the familiar blonde hand continually changing into grey, the way she smiled every time she and Brittany would charge into the restaurant demanding to be fed, and the way she was so used to their antics. Santana looks to the counter, expecting to see Jill, as if imagining her will cause Jill to magically appear. Alas, Jill does not materialize and instead she is roused by a loud banging noise. Santana looks next to her to find her son playing with the menus on the table. "You must be hungry Dylan. What do you want to eat?"

"Ice cream," he automatically answers without missing a beat.

"We can get ice cream for dessert if you're a good boy," Santana replies, emphasising the word 'dessert'.

"You know he gets that from you," Brittany says as she watches from across the table. Santana knows she's telling the truth, so she shrugs nonchalantly. She opens up a menu and flicks though it. Different foods jump out at her, foods which she had become so acquainted to in her teenage years. She remembers the years she spent eating salads to keep healthy as a cheerleader (so perhaps she also had fries on the side; that was always Brittany's fault), the meals she had with her family whenever her mother was too lazy to cook and the times she's come in with her friends and causing a total ruckus. Eventually she decides on spaghetti and meatballs and she figures that she can share with Dylan (the boy will eat anything).

The young waitress returns with a bucket of breadsticks and Santana finds she has to sit on her hands to stop herself snatching one immediately. "Ready to order?" she asks.

"Yep, can I please get a plate the spaghetti and meatballs, with extra meatballs? You love meatballs, don't you Dylan?" his eyes brighten and he nods enthusiastically, "Can I get a spare plate so I can share with my son?"

"And could I get a chicken salad?" the waitress writes down their order and is about to collect their menus when Santana suddenly gasps.

"Oh! Also, can I get a prawn cocktail for my wife?" Santana says with a slight wink. The waitress smiles and walks away with their order.

"Wow, what a dork," Brittany says as gives Santana's leg a gentle kick under the table.

"Only for you, honey,"

As soon as she can, Santana reaches for a breadstick and snaps it in half, passing one end to Dylan. "You have to try this Dylan. Mami used to eat these by the barrow-load," she feeds her son, while simultaneously taking a large bite out of her own end. Once the breadstick hits her tongue, Santana swears she can hear angels sing. "Wow, I've missed you. This has made coming back to Lima worth it," Santana says breathlessly.

"Get a room Santana. At least wait until after my funeral or something," Brittany says with a smirk on her face.

Santana shrinks in her seat. "But they're so good," she says quietly, "we need a Breadstix back home," Dylan seems to agree as he sits quietly (this is possibly the quietest she's seen him) and munches on his breadstick.

Soon enough, their food arrives (much to the joy of Dylan).

(And perhaps Santana).

(Ok, Brittany too. They really miss Breadstix food, alright?).

Santana starts to portion out her food, sharing some of her spaghetti with her son. Once she's done, she digs in, instantly savouring the taste. It was no secret that Breadstix was her favourite place to eat back in Lima, and the only way she could convince other people was to take them there herself. The food said it all.

"Are you excited about the reunion tomorrow Britt?" Santana asks.

Brittany lowers her fork and pauses for a minute. "You know what? I think I am. It's going to be so weird seeing everyone again. Class of 2012. Feels so long ago, yet I feel like can still remember everything," Brittany looks out into the distance, as if she's reliving every moment right at this moment.

"It's sad we didn't really keep in touch with everyone,"

"Mmm, true. But that's pretty normal, right? I think it's just because everyone got so busy in the end. Plus I only had one person I wanted to stay in contact with after high school,"

Santana looks up and sees Brittany looking straight at her. "Me too,"

They're interrupted when Santana suddenly feels something wet hit her arm, and Brittany gasps. She looks over next to her to find Dylan attempting to twirl his spaghetti with−

"A breadstick? Really Dylan?" Brittany can't contain herself and bursts into laughter, causing nearby customers to look over in curiosity. Dylan looks up at his mom, and seeing her amusement, joins in with the laughter and starts twirling the breadstick with more ferocity, leaving Santana's arm freckled with spaghetti sauce. Santana reaches for a napkin and wipes her son's mouth. And chin. And cheeks. And neck.

"Ok there Dylan, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Let's try eating with a fork next time," Santana says as she cleans her arm (with a new, clean napkin). "You know he gets that from you," Santana says.

Brittany shrugs, "What can I say? Our boy's a genius,"

They continue eating their dinner and enjoying each other's company. Dylan eats a lot cleaner, Brittany steals a meatball and Santana takes a prawn from the cocktail. Once they finish, they lean back in their seats. "That was good," Santana says, patting her stomach in satisfaction.

"Ice cream!" Dylan says excitedly, throwing his arms up in the air. Santana chuckles and wipes her son's face again. Brittany gestures to the waitress and orders some ice cream sundaes.

"We're going to have to make sure Abuela doesn't spoil you with more ice cream tonight,"

"Tonight? I thought we were dropping him off with your parents tomorrow night, when we go to the reunion?" Brittany asks with confusion in her voice.

"Oh no, I've already talked to my mum about it. She's got him for tonight and all of tomorrow. She wants to take him to the zoo or something,"

"Oh, that's nice," Brittany says genuinely.

"Not as nice as an empty hotel room," Santana winks, a hint of something more in her tone.

It's brief, but Santana swear she sees Brittany blush.

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you've enjoyed Santana's journey in Breadstix as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I just wanted to thank everyone for reading, and for all the comments you've left me. They've been really sweet, and really push me to keep writing. If anything, you guys have made me blush almost as much as Santana has.**


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